Port Washington schools show strong progress across key metrics – LI Press

District Performance Review and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 4: Quality Education

The Port Washington Union Free School District demonstrates a strong commitment to providing inclusive and equitable quality education. A review of performance metrics indicates high levels of achievement and a focus on continuous improvement.

• High Achievement Rates: Paul D. Schreiber High School has maintained a graduation rate exceeding 95% for four consecutive years, with the most recent cohort achieving over 97%. Furthermore, over 78% of these graduates earned an advanced Regents diploma, indicating a high standard of academic excellence.
• Advanced Placement: 77% of students participate in at least one Advanced Placement (AP) exam during their high school tenure.
• Skills for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship: The district shows progress in equipping students with knowledge and skills for a globalized world.
  • The number of students earning the Seal of Biliteracy doubled to 28% in the past year.
  • The percentage of students awarded the Seal of Civic Readiness increased dramatically from 8% to 50%.
• Middle School Performance: While Weber Middle School’s participation in Regents exams is low at 36%, students who do participate demonstrate exceptional proficiency, with 100% achieving mastery in key science and math subjects. The district aims to increase this participation rate.

SDG 10 & SDG 5: Promoting Equity and Equality

The district is actively addressing inequalities and promoting gender equality, aligning with key SDG targets.

• Addressing Educational Disparities (SDG 10): A significant challenge identified is the underrepresentation of Hispanic students in AP courses. While Hispanic students constitute 24% of the school population, they represent only 12.6% of AP course enrollment. The district has prioritized closing this gap through a multi-faceted approach:
  1. Drilling down into demographic data to target specific student groups for support.
  2. Re-evaluating GPA requirements for AP enrollment to remove potential barriers.
  3. Expanding AP course offerings to appeal to a wider range of students.
  4. Increasing the number of Spanish-speaking teachers to better support ESL students.
• Promoting Gender Equality (SDG 5): The board recognized the outstanding achievements of female student-athletes, including the girls’ swimming, field hockey, and tennis teams, highlighting the district’s support for equal opportunities in extracurricular activities.

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

In response to community petitions, the district addressed its commitment to ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns.

• Community Engagement: The board acknowledged a petition from the community group Transition Town calling for the elimination of plastic and the installation of dishwashers.
• Current Sustainability Efforts: The district highlighted existing initiatives aimed at reducing waste.
  • Installation of water-bottle refilling stations.
  • Use of biodegradable trays in cafeterias.
• Future Commitments: While noting the difficulty of completely eliminating plastic, the administration confirmed it is actively investigating the feasibility of installing dishwashers, contingent on spatial and budgetary assessments.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The Board of Education’s operations reflect principles of effective, accountable, and transparent governance.

• Protecting Individual Rights: The board is updating its policies to align with Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) guidelines. A new letter will be sent to guardians, providing a clear option to opt their children out of videos created by district employees.
• Institutional Accountability and Transparency: A comprehensive review of the district’s technology policy was proposed to ensure a clear and consistent process for all staff regarding the use of social media and the posting of student images. This review will also address emerging technologies such as generative AI, demonstrating proactive governance.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Addressed

Explanation

The article discusses issues that directly connect to several Sustainable Development Goals. The primary focus is on educational outcomes and equity, which aligns with SDG 4. The discussion on demographic disparities in advanced course participation relates to SDG 10. Furthermore, the community’s petition and the district’s response regarding plastic use and sustainability initiatives are relevant to SDG 12.

• SDG 4: Quality Education – The article’s core theme is the review of educational metrics, including graduation rates, advanced diploma achievements, and participation in AP courses, all of which are central to ensuring quality education.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – The article explicitly highlights the demographic disparity in AP course participation, where Hispanic students are underrepresented. The board’s commitment to addressing this issue by ensuring equal access directly relates to reducing inequalities within the community.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production – The mention of a community petition to phase out plastics and install dishwashers, along with the district’s existing efforts like water-bottle refilling stations and biodegradable trays, points to a focus on sustainable practices and waste reduction.

Specific Targets Identified

Explanation

Based on the content of the article, several specific SDG targets can be identified. These targets reflect the concrete actions and areas of focus for the school district, from ensuring educational completion and equity to promoting sustainable practices.

1. Target 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education. The article’s emphasis on the high school’s graduation rate, which was over 97% in the past year, directly measures progress toward this target of secondary education completion.
2. Target 4.5: By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education… for the vulnerable. The identification of lower AP course participation among Hispanic students (12.6% of AP students vs. 24% of the school population) and the subsequent discussion on re-evaluating requirements and adding support for ESL students are direct efforts to achieve this target of equal access.
3. Target 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for… global citizenship. The sharp increase in students receiving the “Seal of Civic Readiness” (from 8% to 50%) and the “Seal of Biliteracy” (doubled to 28%) demonstrates a commitment to fostering skills relevant to global citizenship and cultural understanding.
4. Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… race, ethnicity, origin… The district’s stated priority to “drill down to demographics to see how we can target a group of students and make sure that they can have the same access” is a direct action aimed at promoting the academic inclusion of an ethnic group (Hispanic students).
5. Target 12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse. The community petition calling for the phasing out of plastic and the installation of dishwashers (reuse), along with the district’s current use of water-bottle refilling stations (reuse) and biodegradable trays (reduction/prevention), are all initiatives that contribute to this target.

Indicators Mentioned or Implied

Explanation

The article provides several quantitative and qualitative data points that can serve as indicators to measure progress towards the identified targets. These metrics are explicitly stated in the review of the school district’s performance and initiatives.

1. Graduation Rate: The article states a graduation rate of over 97% for the past school year, which is a direct indicator for Target 4.1.
2. Advanced Diploma Rate: The fact that over 78% of graduates earned an advanced Regents diploma serves as an indicator of the quality of education.
3. Participation Rate in Advanced Courses by Demographic Group: The statistic that Hispanic students make up 12.6% of AP students while comprising 24% of the total school population is a clear indicator of inequality, relevant to Target 4.5 and Target 10.2.
4. Rates of Civic and Biliteracy Seals: The percentages of students graduating with the Seal of Biliteracy (28%) and the Seal of Civic Readiness (50%) are indicators for measuring the acquisition of skills for global citizenship under Target 4.7.
5. Adoption of Sustainable Practices: The implementation of water-bottle refilling stations and biodegradable trays, and the consideration of installing dishwashers, are qualitative indicators of the district’s efforts to reduce waste, as per Target 12.5.

Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: longislandpress.com